but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone
who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus asked again, “How can this be?” And Jesus
answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you don’t know these things! Truly,
I say to you, we speak of what we know and we witness to the things we have seen,
but you don’t accept our testimony. If you don’t believe when I speak of earthly things,
what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven
except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him may
have eternal life.
Reflect
“We are called to share.” The reading from the Acts of the Apostles narrates how the early
followers of Jesus were living in an exceptional time of grace. The narration states that they
were in one mind and heart in sharing things in common. No one was in need. The power
of the Lord’s resurrection enabled them to overcome selfishness. Jesus’
early disciples gave witness to an eschatological reality that had already been realized in
their shared life. The life of the early Christians became an example of a life that was
born from above. Jesus’ early followers lived their potential as spiritual beings to the
fullest. This is what Jesus was trying to explain to Nicodemus as narrated in today’s Gospel.
Nicodemus seemed to be operating in the level of the physical. However, Jesus was
trying to explain to him the importance of spiritual reality. Often, because we are overly
concerned about the material reality, we tend to forget that we are not merely corporeal.
It is our spiritual side that enables us to transcend our selfish desires. The root of many
of our present problems is selfishness. We are spiritual beings. We are called to share so
that we may lead an exceptional life of grace.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2024